Bringin' it Backwards

Together with American Songwriter, we had the pleasure of interviewing John Driskell Hopkins over Zoom video! John Driskell Hopkins today announces new album Lonesome High and shares the single "Missing You All, All The Time." The track is a reflective ballad that takes stock of Hopkins' years spent on the road as a member of the Zac Brown Band. Written with songwriter and good friend D. Vincent Williams ("I'm Movin' On" by Rascal Flatts, Ty Herndon's "Hands of a Working Man") the track is honest and tender as it acknowledges the burden that the life of a professional musician can place on those close to them. Hopkins explains " Over the years, the touring regimen has continued to improve professionally, but we find ourselves away from home more and more frequently. It is very common for all of us to miss our family, and this tune is all about that. It starts with a piano driven music box dancer feel in the beginning and progresses through a very harmony rich vocal stack throughout the choruses. This is the one that my girls sing to me the most." It might be a mistake to conflate Hopkins' pedigree as a founding member of the Zac Brown Band and Grammy-winning producer of their albums into expecting the Lonesome High album to be a country record. Even though it is a country record. But, it's as much a country record as it is a folk album, or a southern rock album. Ultimately, Lonesome High is a collection of uniquely American music. Hopkins' musical palette is, in some ways, a reaction to the shifting sands of the country charts. As compressed commercial pop production and elements of electronic music begin to stake a permanent claim amongst the records of some of the scenes most beloved names, Hopkins is drawn more than ever to the grit of acoustic recording and songs that draw from personal experience.. Lonesome High is set for a January 2021 release. The collection presents an opportunity to hear Hopkins speak with his own voice about the subjects closest to his heart, delivered through the sounds of his southern home. We want to hear from you! Please email Tera@BringinitBackwards.com. www.BringinitBackwards.com #podcast #interview #bringinbackpod #foryou #foryoupage #stayhome #togetherathome #zoom #aspn #americansongwriter #americansongwriterpodcastnetwork Listen & Subscribe to BiB Follow our podcast on Instagram and Twitter! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bringinbackpod/support Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bringin-it-backwards--4972373/support. https://bringinitbackwards.com/

Together with American Songwriter, we had the pleasure of interviewing Ray BLK over Zoom video! Ray BLK who has established herself as one of the UK's most challenging and important female voices, drops a second remix to her recent Island single "Lovesick" by Award winning producer MJ Cole (Disclosure, Stormzy), featuring the British Queen of Drill, Ivorian Doll. "Lovesick" has gained wide support since its release in October, including the likes of the BBC Radio 1Xtra, Capital Xtra, The Apple Music 1 List and Kiss Fresh playlist. The release followed Ray's track "Warriors", the lead song from the universally acclaimed girlhood drama ROCKS and first release from the South London artist's eagerly awaited debut album. Ray wrote the powerful anthem specifically for the film and both these new tracks show an artist at the height of her creative powers and bode well for the album which will be released in 2021. Speaking about the MJ Cole remix, Ray says: "I have always loved MJ Coles productions so I'm really happy he has blessed this track" Ray also recently attended Cambridge University this year to discuss what Black History Month means to her with the Cambridge Union, as well as fronting a special Black History Blackout Radio show for Apple music which showcased her passion and knowledge about black women in music including interviews with legends Ms Dynamite and Estelle. Ray also hosted a 10-week run of the Apple Agenda Show with Mabel, Mahalia, Ghetts and many more. We want to hear from you! Please email Tera@BringinitBackwards.com. www.BringinitBackwards.com #podcast #interview #bringinbackpod #foryou #foryoupage #stayhome #togetherathome #zoom #aspn #americansongwriter #americansongwriterpodcastnetwork Listen & Subscribe to BiB Follow our podcast on Instagram and Twitter! Thank you for your support! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bringinbackpod/support Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bringin-it-backwards--4972373/support. https://bringinitbackwards.com/

Together with American Songwriter, we had the pleasure of interviewing Abigail Ory over Zoom video! Abigail Ory is a Boston-based singer-songwriter making music her way. Weaving the eeriness of her small-town New England upbringing with her present-day perceptions, Ory's music is familiar and innovative, binding the past with the present. Growing up, Ory was first exposed to music by her mother, a choreographer and amateur folk musician but it wasn't until she heard "Appetite For Destruction" by Guns N' Roses that she felt grabbed by music in a way she had never experienced before. After forming a childhood cabaret punk band at just 13 years old, Ory found her niche in songwriting. Self-described as "weird-pop", Ory has curated a unique sound all of her own. "When I'm making music, I try to be as truthful with the material as I can be, and while my music still has a pop structure, it continues to feel and sound like nothing I've heard before", she explains. Ory largely draws her influence from a number of areas including the honest and open lyricism of early MARINA to the sharp musicality of the Violent Femmes. Like much of her music, her newest single "Waves" was originally written years ago and re-visited with Ory's mentor and esteemed songwriter, Donna Lewis. The song speaks of the temporality of interpersonal relationships and the acceptance of change & loss, and was originally composed for a dance production inspired by the book "Invention of Morel" by Adolfo Bioy Casares. Abigail Ory's debut EP will be released later this year. We want to hear from you! Please email Tera@BringinitBackwards.com. www.BringinitBackwards.com #podcast #interview #bringinbackpod #foryou #foryoupage #stayhome #togetherathome #zoom #aspn #americansongwriter #americansongwriterpodcastnetwork Listen & Subscribe to BiB Follow our podcast on Instagram and Twitter! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bringinbackpod/support Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bringin-it-backwards--4972373/support. https://bringinitbackwards.com/

Together with American Songwriter, we had the pleasure of interviewing NOVUL over Zoom video! Canadian born singer-songwriter NOVULshares her experience of broken love in her new single "Runaway Baby". Through poetic lyrics, her fans indulge in the emotional rollercoaster of a toxic relationship. Taking a step away from her more fun, playful pop beats, we connect with NOVULon a more personal level as she writes about the true reality of hopefulness and pain of love, and what it's like when we are brought to the brink of losing sight of yourself: "I'm really excited / nervous and ready to share my past. Runaway Babyencompasses what it feels like to be in a toxic, addictive relationship to the point you lose your own worth and identity. He would run away at times, fighting addictions to the point I then had to become the runaway and run away from the relationship entirely." - NOVUL NOVUL entrances us instantaneously with a soft electric guitar and maintains a melodic smooth tempo with hints of violin and gentle drum beats. "Runaway Baby" is vulnerable and raw, maintaining NOVUL's style of boppy-rap, but with an added emotional expression slowly pulsing throughout the song. NOVUL has turned the electricity on for pop-bop lovers during quarantine. She released two singles this year - ​"Like Us"​ and ​"STICKY​" which have racked up over 4.5million views on TikTok to date. For both singles, NOVUL's fanbase curated solid and successful TikTok dance campaigns, that included a ​capsule-collection​ collaboration with celebrity-favorite swimsuit line, ​Haus of Pinklemonaid​. Stars including; ​Paris Hilton​, Disney's ​Kylie Cantrall​, and Dance Mom's, ​Pressley Hosbach​ have shared NOVUL's music on their social media platforms. This raw and playful, personal connection fans have with NOVUL will grow and stimulate excitement with the upcoming release of her EP "Lullabies". We are excited for what is to come from NOVUL and her newfound calling of poetic lovesongs and self-expression We want to hear from you! Please email Tera@BringinitBackwards.com. www.BringinitBackwards.com #podcast #interview #bringinbackpod #foryou #foryoupage #stayhome #togetherathome #zoom #aspn #americansongwriter #americansongwriterpodcastnetwork Listen & Subscribe to BiB Follow our podcast on Instagram and Twitter! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bringinbackpod/support Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bringin-it-backwards--4972373/support. https://bringinitbackwards.com/

Together with American Songwriter and Sean Ulbs of The Eiffels, we had the pleasure of interviewing New Beat Fund over Zoom video! West Coast-based alternative/indie trio NEW BEAT FUND have revealed plans to release a new album in spring of 2021 marking their first music since 2018's critically acclaimed album Chillanthropy—which included two collaborative tracks alongside close friends in The Driver Era and DJ duo Two Friends. The album will be self-written and produced by the trio who run their own production company under the moniker "The Fund" out of the legendary Sound City Studio Center (Nirvana, Bob Dylan, Red Hot Chili Peppers) in Van Nuys, CA. The band just released a striking and cinematic music video for their new single "Look What You've Done." The track is an interpolation of the trio's own original music mashed with rockers AFI's 2000 single "The Lost Souls" featured on their fifth studio album The Art of Drowning. "AFI are a huge inspiration to us, and somehow a piece of music we loved so much growing up has blossomed into a new musical landscape through our creative filter," shares NEW BEAT FUND. "Not only is the song a proper homage to our musical roots, but it became the sonic template for the new material." The video for "Look What You've Done," as seen below, was directed by South Korean film maker Dawn Suhyun Shim and filmed at various locations across Southern California. Taking inspiration from the classic film The Seventh Seal (1957), the video is a cinematic vignette experimenting with visual elements to express imperfection. "When I first listened to the song 'Look What You've Done,' I was drawn to the inner emotional struggle," shares Shim. "The three lifeless characters stuck in one moment draw a parallel between themselves and a mythical figure. Jeff is mounted in the water looking out to the horizon, Paul is buried in the sand gazing at the sky and Shelby is stuck in his own reflection. "The first reference I brought to the artist was the iconic opening scene from 'The Seventh Seal,'" Shim continues. "The knight is on the beach playing chess by himself when Death appears to inform him he is to die. Trying to outsmart Death, he challenges him to a game of chess. Like Death confronting the knight, the mythical figure in the video confronts the three lifeless characters, but in a curious way. The mythical figure feels great sympathy and releases them by connecting them." "In a chess game, pieces must keep moving. Similarly, life keeps moving whether you are feeling stuck. To emphasize that feeling, we experimented with an in-camera shutter effect. The motion blur aids in both the illusion of time and the feeling of isolation. When we see someone looking at their own reflection, we interpret that a person's soul is contained in their reflection. The mirror expresses a feeling of ambiguity, when one finds his reflection it's revealed as more of a distortion." NEW BEAT FUND consists of guitarist/lead vocalist Jeff Laliberté, bassist/DJ Paul Laliberté and guitarist Shelby Archer. Their debut album Sponge Fingerz was released in 2015 via Red Bull Records and was co-produced with Matt Wallace (Faith No More, Maroon 5) and mixed by Tony Hoffer (Beck, Angels & Airwaves). Following its release, the band was seen on tour with acts including Blink 182, AWOLNATION and Dirty Heads in addition to appearing at several major U.S. festivals. national radio airplay, worldwide playlists, and major festivals across the US. We want to hear from you! Please email Tera@BringinitBackwards.com. www.BringinitBackwards.com #podcast #interview #bringinbackpod #foryou #foryoupage #stayhome #togetherathome #zoom #aspn #americansongwriter #americansongwriterpodcastnetwork Listen & Subscribe to BiB Follow our podcast on Instagram and Twitter! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bringinbackpod/support Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bringin-it-backwards--4972373/support. https://bringinitbackwards.com/

Together with American Songwriter, we had the pleasure of interviewing Wild Rivers over Zoom video! Bands share a whole lot more than just music. They encounter and endure life's ups, downs, and everything in between as a collective. Along the way, band members grow individually and collectively. Following a year highlighted by 150-plus shows, Wild Rivers transpose personal experiences into relatable anthems woven from strands of folk, indie, rock, pop, country, and beyond. Their 2020 EP, Songs To Break Up To [Nettwerk], brings Wild Rivers closer as it also draws listeners in. "The EP was very personal for me specifically, but building it out with the band was a big step for all of us as friends," says Khalid. "I spend 95% of my time with my bandmates. We're a family, so we go through everything together. It's autobiographical, but the group saw the vision and were empathetic. It went from a singular experience to everyone serving the vision tonally and musically." Since the release of their self-titled 2016 debut, Wild Rivers consistently progressed towards this point. As of 2019, their total streams surpassed 100 million and counting. 2018's Eighty-Eight EP garnered acclaim courtesy of Rolling Stone Country, PopMatters, Earmilk, No Depression, and more. Additionally, the band packed shows across North America and beyond, touring alongside The Paper Kites, Donovan Woods, and Jake Bugg, to name a few. We want to hear from you! Please email Tera@BringinitBackwards.com. www.BringinitBackwards.com #podcast #interview #bringinbackpod #foryou #foryoupage #stayhome #togetherathome #zoom #aspn #americansongwriter #americansongwriterpodcastnetwork Listen & Subscribe to BiB Follow our podcast on Instagram and Twitter! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bringinbackpod/support Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bringin-it-backwards--4972373/support. https://bringinitbackwards.com/

Together with American Songwriter, we had the pleasure of interviewing Jason Charles Miller over Zoom video! Jason Charles Miller is set to release a new album, From the Wreckage – Part One, on Feb. 19, 2021. The first single from the album, "Better Late Than Never," is available now via all streaming platforms. Straddling the line between rock and country, the new single and forthcoming album will be released through Miller's own Haunted Mill Music record label, and puts his gritty, passion-filled style on full display. Produced by Jason Charles Miller, Stewart Cararas and Matt Hyde, From the Wreckage – Part One is Miller's fifth full-length and sixth studio release. The album features several collaborations, including Adam Shoenfeld (Tim McGraw) playing lead guitar and "Cowboy" Eddie Long (Jamey Johnson) playing pedal steel on "Better Late Than Never," Duane Betts of the Allman Betts Band on "Expiration Day," and Katie Cole from Smashing Pumpkins on "Day After Day" along with Eban Schletter (film composer) playing the theremin. An accomplished performer with more than two decades of professional experience as a singer, songwriter, producer and voice actor, Jason Charles Miller has quietly established himself as a strong force in the Americana, Country and Southern Rock genres. Released in 2018 by Sony Music, In the Wasteland was Miller's third full-length solo release. It featured numerous guest appearances, including Rickey Medlocke (Lynyrd Skynyrd), Charlie Starr (Blackberry Smoke), and Dug Pinnick (King's X). The album expanded on Miller's roots in Americana and country, dynamically exposing his blues-inspired and southern rock influences. As a solo artist, Jason Charles Miller has performed alongside and opened for country and rock artists including Billy Ray Cyrus, Alan Jackson, Eric Church, Toby Keith, Ashley McBryde, Allman Betts Band, .38 Special, Night Ranger, Gary Allan, Justin Moore, Big Kenny of Big and Rich, and Jerrod Niemann. In 2019, Miller was lead vocalist on the Billboard chart-topping theme song for the 'Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers' video game. He has also contributed two songs to the critically acclaimed 'Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance' soundtrack and sang backup for Robert Smith of The Cure on the Reeves Gabrels/Robert Smith track "Yesterday's Gone." As the frontman and founder of the rock band Godhead, he was the only artist ever signed to Marilyn Manson's Posthuman Records and sold more than 250,000 albums touring the world with the likes of Ozzy Osbourne, Rammstein, Disturbed, Linkin Park, Slipknot, Marilyn Manson and Korn frontman Jonathan Davis. In 2004, Miller penned the all-star collaboration "Forever in Our Hearts," a song to benefit the victims of the 2004 tsunami in South Asia, which included Brian McKnight, Mya, Jacoby Shaddix (Papa Roach), Nate Dogg, and many more. Originally from Clifton, VA, Miller now lives in Los Angeles, CA, where he owns and runs the successful recording complex Central Command Studios. We want to hear from you! Please email Tera@BringinitBackwards.com. www.BringinitBackwards.com #podcast #interview #bringinbackpod #foryou #foryoupage #stayhome #togetherathome #zoom #aspn #americansongwriter #americansongwriterpodcastnetwork Listen & Subscribe to BiB Follow our podcast on Instagram and Twitter! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bringinbackpod/support Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bringin-it-backwards--4972373/support. https://bringinitbackwards.com/

Together with American Songwriter, we had the pleasure of interviewing Mae Muller over Zoom video! North London singer/songwriter Mae Muller recently released the video for her new single "dependent." Directed by Sophia Ray (Lily Allen,Ty Dolla $ign, Amber Mark) the video details the conundrums of falling in love. Speaking about the video, Mae said "This is one of my favourite videos I've ever done, and I loved collaborating with the super talented Sophia Ray and the team that brought the concept of the song to life. The looks, the dancers, everything is ON POINT! I really wanted to do this song justice with a stunning video and feel like we've really achieved that." The addictive opening track to Mae's debut EP no one else, not even you, "dependent" offers a rarely-glimpsed look at the tension between the thrill of new love and the fear of losing your sense of self. Out now via Capitol Records, the eight-track EP showcases the fearlessly honest yet irresistibly fun songwriting that's hailed Mae as "a clear pop sensation in the making" by Wonderland and the "new queen" by NYLON. "I wrote that song at the start of a relationship, when I could feel myself falling in love and got really scared," says Mae, who co-wrote "dependent" with Henrik Michelsen of the Norwegian duo Electric. "That's what always happens when I start to fall for someone: instead of going with the flow and just enjoying myself, I start to panic a bit because of the power you have to give up. This song is me being totally honest about not wanting to become dependent on someone, because my independence is so important to me." Made with producers/co-writers like Rick Nowels (Madonna, Lana Del Rey), Jimmy Napes (Sam Smith, Alicia Keys), Skyler Stonestreet (Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa), and Kenny Beats (FKA twigs, Ed Sheeran), no one else, not even you brings Mae's raw vulnerability to an immaculately composed but unpredictable brand of pop music. In a nod to the newfound self-confidence she felt in creating the EP, its title serves as an adamant refusal to let anyone undermine her artistry. "I've had a lot of people make comments like, 'Your exes must hate you,' or sometimes an ex will reach out and tell me, 'I know this song's about me,'" says Mae. "But all my songs are my story — they're my way of expressing who I am and how I feel, and no one else can take credit for them." Along with "dependent," no one else, not even you features Mae's previously released singles "HFBD" and "so annoying." To date, the 23-year-old artist has amassed over 100 million streams globally, with her songs featured on Spotify's New Music Friday and Apple Music's A-List Pop, In My Room, Future Hits, and more. She's also stormed her way through the live world, selling out a 2020 headline tour of the U.K. and earning an adoring worldwide following who've come to rely on her uncompromising self-expression. We want to hear from you! Please email Tera@BringinitBackwards.com. www.BringinitBackwards.com #podcast #interview #bringinbackpod #foryou #foryoupage #stayhome #togetherathome #zoom #aspn #americansongwriter #americansongwriterpodcastnetwork Listen & Subscribe to BiB Follow our podcast on Instagram and Twitter! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bringinbackpod/support Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bringin-it-backwards--4972373/support. https://bringinitbackwards.com/

Together with American Songwriter, we had the pleasure of interviewing Jack Mitchell of The Story Pirates over Zoom video! Jack Mitchell is an award-winning composer, songwriter, music director, producer, and arranger for children's media and musical theatre based in Brooklyn, NY. ​ Current children's media projects include original songs, arrangements, and scoring for The Story Pirates Podcast from Gimlet Media/Spotify, winner of the 2020 Webby and 2019 iHeartRadio awards for Best Kids and Family Podcast, where his work has been praised by celebrities such as Lin-Manuel Miranda, and live scoring for the new comedy gameshow, "Don't Break the Rules" from Pinna Audio. ​ Together with beloved Washington Post satirist Alexandra Petri, Jack is developing a new musical comedy entitled, THE WRONG AMERICAN!", adapted from P.G Wodehouse's classic farce,"A Damsel in Distress". The show received a recent reading at Williamstown Theatre Festival and is gearing up for an AEA 29-hour industry reading soon. Jack is currently hard at work composing the music for a new family musical, "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Book", based on the celebrated children's book by Lauren Child. Additional TYA credits include STONE SOUP: THE MUSICAL commissioned by Parkway School for the Arts and co-written with Jason Blitman. ​ Jack's recent sold-out concert of original music at The Green Room 42 was featured on playbill.com and his music has been seen and heard nationally on NPR, Sirius/XM Radio, ME-TV, and at The Foundation for New American Musicals in LA, The Utah Symphony, and The Kennedy Center. ​ As a musical director, Jack has worked with international stars and Tony Award Winners/Nominees including Amanda Seyfried, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Laura Benanti, Thomas Sadoski, Ashley Park, and many more. Jack is a proud graduate of Northwestern University, a member of the advanced class of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop, and the Director/MD of the Late-Night Cabaret at Williamstown Theatre Festival. We want to hear from you! Please email Tera@BringinitBackwards.com. www.BringinitBackwards.com #podcast #interview #bringinbackpod #foryou #foryoupage #stayhome #togetherathome #zoom #aspn #americansongwriter #americansongwriterpodcastnetwork Listen & Subscribe to BiB Follow our podcast on Instagram and Twitter! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bringinbackpod/support Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bringin-it-backwards--4972373/support. https://bringinitbackwards.com/

Together with American Songwriter and Sean Ulbs of The Eiffels, we had the pleasure of interviewing Willa Amai over Zoom video! Sixteen-year-old music phenom Willa Amai is closing 2020 with enthusiastic acclaim to press and public. Amai busy with promoting her current single "Unorganized Crime," recorded her broody Christmas single simply titled "DECEMBER." It was decided that it was apropos to be put out this year especially with Amai's lyric base for the song speaking of troubled times over the holiday season. Little did they know the song would lead to year end success. Amai retorts about the meaning of the song "DECEMBER" as a Christmas song with a melancholy mood that battles with the acceptance of loneliness and remembrance in a time of joy and love. It's about learning to be okay with yourself and with being alone and finding happiness in who you already are." The accolade continues as the video that was a last-minute production directed by Amai's legendary manager, Linda Perry, was meant to just live on the internet for Amai's fans has taken a big notice at MTV. "DECEMBER" has now been added to Nick Music's Fresh Faces New Artist Block, MTV LIVE and MTV's Spankin' New Channels. "DECEMBER" will get a healthy viewing with Nick Music's built in 36 Million households and MTV LIVE's 42 million households. MTV also asked Amai to be their first artist to kick off their #ALONETOGETHER JAM Sessions. "We were shocked and overwhelmed to see the pick-up, but we are proud of Willa! Her work is definitely paying off," vaunts Perry! At the ripe age of 12 ½ years old, the young singer-songwriter caught the eye of Perry. Now at the age of 16, Amai is reaping the rewards of industry insiders (Dolly Parton, Brandi Carlile) and leaders (The Today Show and The Ellen DeGeneres Show) alike thanks to the watchful eye and curation of the artist development of Perry herself. Amai will be releasing several more singles into an album to be released in 2021. As Amai continues to rise, the industry will undoubtedly notice and the fans will soak in her honesty. If truth is what Perry was looking for, well she hit the motherload. For More Information on Willa Amai: Facebook - www.facebook.com/WillaAmai Instagram - www.instagram.com/willaamai Twitter - www.twitter.com/willaamai Youtube- 6 Million +, www.youtube.com/c/WillaAmai Apple Streams- 2.1 Million + Spotify- 3.8 Million + Shazam- 58.5K, #1 Most Shazamed Song We want to hear from you! Please email Tera@BringinitBackwards.com. www.BringinitBackwards.com #podcast #interview #bringinbackpod #foryou #foryoupage #stayhome #togetherathome #zoom #aspn #americansongwriter #americansongwriterpodcastnetwork Listen & Subscribe to BiB Follow our podcast on Instagram and Twitter! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bringinbackpod/support Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bringin-it-backwards--4972373/support. https://bringinitbackwards.com/